Worship and Learning

Abstract

For religious believers, receptivity and responsiveness to God is a necessary prerequisite for right receptivity and responsiveness to the world. The place given to prayer and worship distinguishes the religious from the secular person. In part one of the chapter the focus is on how worship provides a context for unifying the principal concerns and commitments of believers. In part two the focus is on how the practices and associated attitudes and virtues of prayer can enrich learning. In part three intellectual life is envisaged as a sacred calling, interconnections between academic endeavour and spiritual and moral qualities are indicated, curiosity and studiousness are distinguished and the reciprocal relation between worship and learning is confirmed.